The career escalator is jammed at every level. Unemployment rates are sky-high. Creative disruption is shaking every industry. Global competition for jobs is fierce. The employer-employee pact is over, and traditional job security is a thing of the past. Here, LinkedIn cofounder and chairman Reid Hoffman and author Ben Casnocha show how to accelerate your career in today’s competitive world.

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Publisher's Summary

A blueprint for thriving in your job and career in today’s challenging world of work by applying the lessons of Silicon Valley’s most innovative entrepreneurs.

The career escalator is jammed at every level. Unemployment rates are sky-high. Creative disruption is shaking every industry. Global competition for jobs is fierce. The employer-employee pact is over, and traditional job security is a thing of the past.

Here, LinkedIn cofounder and chairman Reid Hoffman and author Ben Casnocha show how to accelerate your career in today’s competitive world. The key is to manage your career as if it were a start-up business: a living, breathing, growing start-up of you.

Why? Start-ups - and the entrepreneurs who run them - are nimble. They invest in themselves. They build their professional networks. They take intelligent risks. They make uncertainty and volatility work to their advantage. These are the very same skills professionals need to get ahead today.

This book isn’t about cover letters or resumes. Instead, you will learn the best practices of Silicon Valley start-ups, and how to apply these entrepreneurial strategies to your career. Whether you work for a giant multinational corporation, a small local business, or are launching your own venture, you need to know how to:

Adapt your career plans as you change, the people around you change, and industries change

Develop a competitive advantage to win the best jobs and opportunities

Strengthen your professional network by building powerful alliances and maintaining a diverse mix of relationships

Find the unique breakout opportunities that massively accelerate career growth

Take proactive risks to become more resilient to industry tsunamis

Tap your network for information and intelligence that help you make smarter decisions

A revolutionary new guide to thriving in today's fractured world of work, the strategies in this book will help you survive and thrive and achieve your boldest professional ambitions. The Start-Up of You empowers you to become the CEO of your career and take control of your future.

What the Critics Say

"Being an entrepreneur isn’t really about starting a business. It’s a way of looking at the world: seeing opportunity where others see obstacles, taking risks when others take refuge. Whatever career you’re in ­ or want to be in ­The Start-Up of You holds lessons for success." (Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg, L.P., and Mayor, New York City)

"Everyone, women and men alike, needs to think big to succeed. This is a practical book that shows you how to take control and build a career that will enable you to have real impact." (Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook)

"A profound book about self-determination and self-realization. By capturing and universalizing the wisdom of successful start-up businesses, the authors provide an exciting blueprint for building a fulfilling career. Invaluable for any person who wants to be a successful entrepreneur ­ not in a particular company ­ but in the most important enterprise of all: one's own life." (Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark)

There are bits of great information and entrepreneur insights mixed in with a lot of commercial-like statements about Linked-in. Also, there was way too much name dropping without any real purpose. It was like being in a boring first date with a person that can't stop boasting about their connections and achievements. There was nothing there to attach what is being said to the listener. At moments I felt as if I was being talked to and not engaged. While I am glad to have an opportunity to gain some insight into Reid Hoffman's success, I doubt I will be listening to this or any other book by him again. There will be no second date.

This is a good book, but more tailored towards how to work in the large corporation and not to rough any feathers as superiors would not like it. Good practical advice to play it safe in the corporate world, quite different advice from what it is to be successfull in startups but good advice to walk and learn the ropes in a large corporation.

Yes. The authors' concept of equating a career plan to a business plan for a startup company is unique and useful. I have already recommended the book to several of my younger colleagues.

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A

What about Kaleo Griffith’s performance did you like?

I think the narrator's performance was above average and enhanced my comprehension of the material.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The book introduced the concept of ABZ Planning which given my advanced years and relatively stable career path has limited utility in terms of career planning, but the concept provides a clear framework for structuring "scenario planning" models and describes a perfect approach for evaluating strategic decisions in a way that scratches the itch of decision makers.

Love the ideas behind "The Start-Up of You". A-B-Z plan, continuously invest in yourself, be aware of your network and nurture it. I have no plans of changing jobs and still got a lot from this book. Also bought a copy for my nephew who is graduating college soon.

I would listen to it again. They provide a good amount of specific actionable advice and tips for better positioning yourself, regardless of your current situation. There is undoubtedly plenty of practical advice I missed the first time through.

What three words best describe Kaleo Griffith’s voice?

Consistent, clear, soothing

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

If you could sum up The Start-Up of You in three words, what would they be?

practical, inspirational, networking

What did you like best about this story?

The authors include specific practical suggestions for building your career and professional network based on their business experience. These are particularly useful to people in the early stages of their career, although most apply to all levels. Spending time doing the action items at the end of each chapter is worthwhile and could significantly amplify the impact of these ideas on your career. The conversation with the authors at the end is a nice bonus with additional hints to grow "your startup".

Have you listened to any of Kaleo Griffith’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Have not listened to his other performances, but this one was excellent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The argument that we are all born as entrepreneurs is compelling. Some phrases are ingenious and thought provoking, like I^we implying the network serves as exponent of individuals, the "permanent beta" mindset, reading a blog as a first derivative of the writer's thoughts, "you" as both singular and plural, etc.

Any additional comments?

There is too much emphasis on using LinkedIn and too little on alternatives.Chapter bookmarks are wrong, e.g. chapter 2 on the audio app has chapter 1's recording, etc. This should be corrected.

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